“The climate crisis is not just a catchphrase,” but a possible future for every person, especially those of the younger generation, she said.

A child watches a 2.5m tall ice statue of Taiwan, with “climate crisis” written on it in Chinese, melt in Taipei’s Ximending yesterday.

Photo: Lo Chi, Taipei Times

German nationals Ramona Schulz and Daniel Bahm, who came across the campaign while visiting Taipei, said they were happy to find the event and that they hope that more Taiwanese will join the global effort to fight climate change.

If Taiwan cannot effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rising sea levels will by 2050 affect 1.2 million people living across 1,398km2 of the nation, Greenpeace energy director Tang An (唐安) said.

The southwest of Taiwan would suffer the most serious damage, with flooding expected to be the worst in Tainan, Tang said.

The nation must take a bold role in the global fight against the crisis, as Taiwan is expected to one of the first nations to face some of the worst consequences, such as rising sea levels, extreme heat, drought and flooding, Tang said.

Under the 2014 Paris agreement, countries must limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C to curb the effects and risks of climate change.

However, according to the latest report by Greenpeace, global warming has been aggravated over the past 100 years and could continue to worsen.

In the worst of the high-emission scenarios, frequently referred to as “RCP8.5” or “business as usual,” Taiwan could see an increase of 3°C, not 1.5°C, the report said.

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